Barry Bonds, here hitting record-setting home run No. 756, has an ironclad statistical case for the Hall of Fame, but his candidacy is still complex. / Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

by Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY Sports

by Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY Sports

(Editor's note: USA TODAY Sports is publishing thumbnail sketches of the top 22 Hall of Fame candidates on this year's ballot. It is a most intriguing lot, ranging from seeming first-ballot names marred by the cloud of performance-enhancing drugs to unsullied players nearing the end of their 15-year eligibility. The Baseball Writers' Association of America will announce who, if anyone, is voted in Jan. 9.)

Name: Barry Bonds

Position: Left fielder

Career: 1986-92, Pittsburgh Pirates; 1993-2007, San Francisco Giants

Year on ballot: First

Why he should be inducted: He's the all-time home run leader, with 762. He won seven National League MVP awards. He trails only Babe Ruth in Wins Above Replacement. He trails only Hank Aaron in extra-base hits. His 1.051 career on-base plus slugging percentage trails only Ruth, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig. He's third all-time in runs and fourth in RBI.

Why he shouldn't be inducted: Bonds was ensnared in the biggest doping scandal in North American sports and is viewed in some quarters as the face of baseball's performance-enhancing drug era. That two of baseball's most hallowed records - the single-season and all-time home run marks - are viewed in some quarters as either entirely or largely due to Bonds' alleged doping will hurt his efforts with a voting bloc that may see the Hall as the last entity unsullied by the game's Steroid Era.

Numbers don't lie: Bonds had seven seasons of at least 40 home runs, including a run of 49, 73, 46, 46 and 45 that began when he turned 35.

Verdict: Early returns suggest Bonds will not get in this season, as a large bloc of voters may pause to vote for him - or never will. But as time goes on, it would figure Bonds' support would rise and he eventually will earn election.